Onigakure: The Tale of Six
by Mika-Suesaki
Summary: Love, lust and friendship. The threads of life weave a tangled mess. When one screws with life they should expect the unexpected. SasuSakuIta. Warning: rated M for language and adult themes. Title may change when I think of a better one.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I did though. Oh well, we can all dream. **

**Authors Note: Some things are different from the first posting, others are the same. This chapter is the combination of chapters one and two of the first post.**

**OoxXxoO**

Summery: This is about an ancient ninja village and the Naruto characters are part of it. They travel in a six man squad. Only one six man group is chosen, the rest are the regular three man teams like in the manga. Each of them is given a title; Kage (has nothing to do with being a village leader of the village or anything, just the leader of the group.), Tsuchi, Kasai, Raikou, Mizu, and Tei. Once one of the six die the new generation comes in, being trained by the previous Kage, Tsuchi, etc. Each ninja has a specialty that gives them an edge from their teammates. They are trained from birth to be apart of the squad.

_Sakura Haruno_ - March 28; 19; The Kage, Shadow, Ninja. No one in the group, even herself, understands why she was chosen to lead the team. She's like older Sakura in the manga. The last Kage was killed so she was trained by the Kage before him, who just happened to be Tsunade.

_Sasuke Uchiha_ - July 23; 19; The Raikou,Lightning, Ninja of the group. He mastered the Chidori from the previous Raikou, Kakashi Hatake. He and his brother are the only two true siblings to ever be on the team at the same time, but what more can you expect from the great Uchiha Clan?

_Naruto Uzumaki_ - October 10; 18; The Tei, Wind, Ninja. Naruto's father, Minato, was the previous Tei, but his death,along with the previous Kage, Tsuchi, and Mizu, were the ones that brought about the new generation of the six man cell. His mother, Kushina, was the last Kasai. His father was a prodigy and the village puts huge pressure on him to be a prodigy as well.

_Itachi Uchiha_ - June 9; 25; The Tsuchi, Earth, Ninja. He's the best of the best, most villagers believe he should have been the Kage of the group. He's the role model for his younger brother, but also his biggest rival. He's also second in command if anything were to happen to Sakura. He was trained by Orochimaru, whom he surpassed at a very young age.

_Hinata Hyuga_ - December 27; 17; The Mizu, Water, Ninja. She's the main medic in the group. She has always had a crush on Naruto, and you'll have to read the story for the rest of the relationship. (This story wouldn't be complete without any NaruHina love. -) Of course Hinata is still the shy and timid girl we all know and love. 3

_Deidara Uzumaki_ - May 8; 23; The Kasai, Fire, Ninja. Deidara has a rivalry with Itachi and wants to surpass him. He's the second oldest in the group and also Naruto's adopted older brother. Yes Deidara being form stone and all would fit better in the Tsuchi position, but I noticed he had a slightly short temper, which makes him perfect for this role.

**OoxXxoO**

The moon shined brightly over the sleeping village as the cold winter breeze blew across the trees. Shadows on a nearby hill go unnoticed, until within the hour the small village is set ablaze with men, women, and children running for their lives. Horses, gold, young women, booze, these were the things that gave these bandits pleasure, but in this particular village they were looking for something else.

"Kosuke, where's the place that old man said it would be?" Asked one of the men in the room. He looked over at the bulkier man, Kosuke, as he wiped some blood off his katana. Kosuke ignored him as he searched through a few desk draws, looking for the button the old man had told him about. His fingers passed lightly over the small bump and he pressed down. A small compartment in the wall opened up, revealing priceless jewels, stocks, and bonds.

"Move out the friggen way you idiots." Kosuke yelled as his subordinates gathered around to paw at the items. He pushed aside everything, searching for the one thing that they needed, he needed. "Where the hell is that god damn scroll?" He yelled as he punched the nearest man.

"Looking for this?" Said a female voice. The group turned around to see a young woman leaning against the door frame, in her hands a scroll.

"Now give it here girl and maybe if you're lucky enough I'll show you a good time?" Kosuke announced, motioning his bandits toward her, not taking her as a serious threat. Big mistake.

Sakura stepped into the moonlight, her shoulder length pink hair framing her face perfectly. Her emerald green eyes were dark with fury at the men before her. Her hitai-ate was revealed as well, the kanji for demon carved into it. She raised one finger and wagged it as a smirk made its way onto her face. Screams were heard from the back of the group, until there was none standing, except Sakura and the new comer.

"Why do you always do that, taking away all my fun?" He gave no answer as he stood before her, wiping away a speck of blood that had mad it's way onto her cheek. His onyx eyes were cold and emotionless. Not one strand of his coal colored hair was out of place from the exercise of killing the bandits. "You going to answer me...Itachi-kun?"

"A Kage should not waste his or her time with weak links like these." They were the only words he spoke before he bent down and wiped his red kunai on one of the shirts of the fallen bodies. After, he walked past her and of course she followed. It was always like that. Itachi was always beside her, no matter what was going on or where. The Tsuchi, the second in command, her body guard, was always by her side.

They walked out into the night, the sky lit orange from the nearby flames. Bandits and villagers lay dead everywhere, not one of them was moving. Sakura let out a small sigh as her eyes took in the gore and destruction. "What a waste of life...it's a shame really."

"We made sure none of the bandits escaped. I'm sorry Kage-chan, we couldn't save any villagers." A spiky haired blond said, his head bowed down to his squad leader.

"Naruto...It's alright. We should have taken action sooner. It was my call and I take responsibility." She smiled brightly while looking at the mess that was his hair. Soon his eyes met hers as he raised his head, cerulean met emerald. He was still feeling guilty, she knew he was, guilty about not being able to save them, but these ninja, no matter how talented couldn't turn back the hands of time so they would all just have to deal with their mistakes or rather hers'. Soon the other three members arrived, all with news on letting not one single bandit escape.

After another sweep of the area the team of six headed out, having buried many of the dead and putting out the fires that had been a blaze.

"Alright, since we're all accounted for, we will return to the village." Sakura announced with a stern nod of her head. A hand was placed on her shoulder and she turned around to meet another pair of onyx orbs. This time though, the owners hair was shorter and spiked in the back. "Something wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He said just as emotionlessly as his brother. The two were so alike it scared her some times. She only looked up at him in confusion. With a sigh he brought her attention to her bag that was leaning against one of the blackened houses, the bag with the scroll they went through all this trouble for. She laughed nervously while a small blush graced her cheeks.

"Okay then...Now we can go." She announced grabbing her bag, this time with no interruptions. Once again she found herself wondering how she had gotten the position of leader in their squad. There were plenty whom would do a better job then herself. Naruto was the son of the last Tei Nin, Minato Namikaze, and the last Kasai Nin, Kushina Uzumaki, yet he himself was only Tei.

The Uchiha brothers, Sasuke and Itachi, came from a very powerful clan and held a blood line limit, the Sharingan, yet Itachi was Tsuchi, second in command, and Sasuke was Raikou.

Their main medic, the Mizu Nin, was Hinata Hyuga, she too was from a powerful clan and held a blood line limit, the Byakugan.

The last member of the group was Deidara, the Kasai Nin. He was found at the entrance to the village as a baby and was raised alongside Naruto, whose mother trained them both at some points, but unlike Naruto, Deidara had a special ability to make explosive life-like clay creatures with the mouths in the palms of his hands. So why out of all these great shinobi was she chosen?

"Sakura-san are you alright?" Sakura turned her head to see the only other female member, Hinata. Sakura could remember a time, around the age of six for Hinata and seven for her, when this young girl would say nothing to anyone, instead she would just sit there with her hands together as her short inky purple hair hid her face. Now her hair was longer, down to her shoulders, and it made her seem older. Besides appearance wise, the shy Hyuga had gained a lot more confidence over the years.

"Oh, well, yeah I'm fine Hinata-chan. Why wouldn't I be?" She gave the other a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her head. Hinata just blushed, shook her head and then looked down at the ground. Naruto came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him as they continued walking. They looked so happy together and in half a year they would be married. Hinata would be eighteen in four months and by then the preparations for the ceremony would be complete so they could be married by the upcoming March. She slowed down her walking until they were a few feet in front of her. Deidara walked past her, keeping his own distance from the couple up front and from her.

Deidara had blonde hair that went right below his shoulders, the top half of his hair in a high ponytail, and a crystal blue eye. The other was white with blindness but a medic ninja and Deidara himself had come up with a device to turn the blindness into a strength. Said device showed the user the chakra that was inside of a persons body so even in the dark he could tell where his enemy stood. He was adopted into the Uzumaki family making Naruto his younger brother. He was older than the hyperactive blonde by about five years, but unlike his brothers' more bubbly attitude though, Deidara tended to have a more sarcastic tone of voice all the time.

Once again she slowed her pace and soon she found herself in between the two Uchiha brothers. Both so emotionless and both very strong shinobi. The funny part was that both were simply irresistible to every woman that they had come across, even her.

She looked at the younger from the corner of her eye, her hand slowly getting closer to his until their fingers brushed lightly. She wrapped her index finger around his and held it. Soon his finger wrapped around hers as well, it was as close as they would get to holding hands in public. Their relationship wasn't an open one like Hinata and Naruto's. Theirs was more private, especially since their relationship was basically physical, in other words sex. The people of their village, especially the older couples, wouldn't have approved of it, that's why it was a secret but they were happy and that's what they wanted.

The enormous gates of their village, Onigakure, came into view soon, which meant no more "hand-holding" until night came. They all parted ways in the middle of town, Hinata going to the Hyuga compound, Naruto and Deidara going home to their mother, and Sasuke going off to who knows where, probably to Sakura's own apartment. Itachi and Sakura made their to the elders hall.

The town was silent and peaceful in the early morning hours. They said nothing as they walked down the streets. Sakura was enjoying the light wind that blew against her face until her hand was caught in another. Itachi stood still, her hand in his. "Sakura."

"Yeah?" She looked over at him as he tugged her closer until she was right in front of him. Without really noticing it, his face inched closer to hers. He had seen them, Sasuke and her. He didn't like his little brother touching her. His lips brushed lightly against hers as one hand come up to cup her cheek, the other going around her waist, crushing her against him. Once her eyes closed, he got more into it, his tongue licking along her bottom lip and slipping into her mouth. Slowly he pulled away and looked at her face. Her cheeks were flushed as her eyes fluttered open. "I'm meant to be by your side always, that is the Tsuchi's job to the Kage. I will always be there, Sasuke on the other hand, is another story." With those words he continued their walk to meet the elders.

Sakura stood their stunned. Never once did Itachi ever give the slightest interest in her. Well that was technically a lie. There had been that time when they were younger though now she thought of him as a big brother, a guardian. Her lips tingled, not the tingling she got from kissing Sasuke but close to it. Right at that moment she knew something was wrong. She loved Sasuke, she hadn't told him yet but she did. Nothing Itachi did should make her feel anything close to what her love, her lover, made her feel.

"Itachi...make the report on your own please. I need to go. I'm sorry." She noticed his shoulders tense when he didn't hear the suffix that usually accompanied his name. Her feet moved on their own accord in the direction to her apartment.

She ended up in front of her door, just staring at it. A groan escaped her lips as she turned around and leaned her back on the wood. The door opened quickly, making her fall back into a hard chest. Arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into the small flat. "I figured you would have been longer than this." Sasuke said, his mouth kissing her cheek first and then down her jawline.

"Mmmm, Sasuke...I need to talk to you." He stopped kissing her and started to nibble on her ear instead. "Sasuke, please.." She turned around in his grasp and pushed him an arms length away. "I'm being serious."

"Alright, alright." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and gave her his full attention. Sakura looked at the ground, biting her lip.

"Itachi...he kissed me." She announced. Her eyes couldn't meet his, in fact she couldn't look anywhere but at her feet.

"What..?" Sasuke's voice held anger. His brother had moved in on his girl after all. His idol, his rival in almost everything, the only thing he would have never expected was to be competing for the affections of a girl, let alone the leader of their group.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke..I should have never given him the opportunity to try anything. I-"

"Marry me." Sasuke cut her off.

She stood their speechless, her eyes finally going to his face. His face was serious, his eyes intense. "Marry you? What the hell do you mean 'marry me'?"

"I mean become my wife, bare my children. That kind of thing." He moved closer to her, taking her hands in his.

"I love you." It was the first time those words were spoken by her. She knew he felt the same, but wouldn't say it. It wasn't Sasuke like.

He held her chin with his hand and placed his lips on hers. He wanted to make sure Itachi never kissed those lips ever again, never touch her intimately. He backed her up against the nearest wall, as the kiss became desperate. He tried putting into the action what he couldn't put into words. Automatically, her hands came up to wrap themselves around his neck as she kissed him back with just as much desperation.

Soon they found themselves in her bedroom, but the desperation was lost. They tentatively stripped the other as if they were just seeing one another for the first time. Her fingers ran over his chiseled chest, while his own studied her sides, not touching her bare breasts but oh so close. He was waiting for her to initiate the sex. She looked up at his face and cupped his cheek, leaning in at the same time. She was ready to begin.

He stopped the kiss as he lowered her to the bed, his eyes looked into hers and telling her silently that she was beautiful and she was his. Hers' burned with the love she felt for him and as he kissed her she couldn't have wished for anything more. She lost her concentration when she felt his fingers penetrate her and cried out when they slowly pumped in and out of her. He watched the different expression that made their way onto her face when he added a finger, took one away, sped up, or his favorite, when he hit the special point in her that made her cry out in sheer pleasure.

As she orgasmed, she knew something was different. She opened her eyes to look up at Sasuke. He was waiting for her to settle down before continuing. "You never gave me an answer Sakura." He smiled as he said it. He knew the answer, he just wanted her to say it.

"Yes. I will marry you, Sasuke Uchiha." And with that said he pushed into her.

Her muscles gripped him tightly almost making him pound into her much smaller body, but this time would be different than the others. He wanted to make love to her, not fuck her. He would do what she wanted, when she wanted it, and how she wanted it. He slowly pumped into her, ignoring his need. Her moans and whimpers of pleasure met his ears and he could tell she liked the different pace he set for them, since usually he would be pushing into her extremely fast by now. Her nails left long red marks on his back and shoulders, needing something to hold onto.

He bit onto her neck as she tightened more around him and he knew she was close once again. For the second time that night she came, almost bringing him with her. He couldn't control himself after that and let his need go, grunting with each thrust of his body. He pounded into her again and again, her hips meeting his even as pleasure consumed her, until he brought her a third time and finally came himself.

Panting filled the room as Sasuke lowered his head to lay on her chest. He placed his body beside her though, so he wouldn't crush her. Sakura played her fingers through his hair quietly until she fell asleep. Her steady breathing brought a sense of comfort to him.

He looked at the clock on her nightstand table and sighed. 7:30 in the morning, it gave him just enough time to do what he needed to do before she would wake up. He knew that she would sleep until she couldn't sleep anymore. To think that, that kind of woman would be with him for the rest of his life. The thought made him laugh.

Quietly he slipped out of bed and made his way to his discarded clothes to get dressed. He'd sneak home quickly and take a shower before continuing his tasks. Before exiting the house, he gave his fiancé a kiss on the forehead.

**OoxXxoO**

Sasuke made his way through the streets of Onigakure, trying not to bring attention to himself. Unfortunately when you're an Uchiha, you get attention no matter if you want it or not. Children whom were hoping to become great shinobi themselves watched him walk as they made their own ways to the academy. Young woman, married and single, ogled at him for his handsome features. Yes, it was hard being Sasuke but some one had to do it.

"Uhmmm...Uchiha-san." He looked over his shoulder to see a girl around his age right behind him. Her head was bent down, her brown bangs covering her eyes, and the smallest hint of red covered her cheeks. She was no ninja, he could tell by her clothes. "I have a question to ask you." He hated being interrupted in what he was going to do but nodded his head anyway. "Are you perhaps...uhm...what I mean is..well."

"What?" He asked in irritation. Admirers of his always got on his nerves.

"I want to know if you're seeing someone!" She blurted out, her hands coming up to cover her mouth soon after. He closed his eyes and smirked as he gave his clear answer of yes. The girl was stunned, no on had thought that either of the young Uchiha shinobi were dating, especially the younger of the two.

"But...who?"

"Haruno Sakura." He laughed at the end as he turned back to the direction he was going. Thus began the windmill of rumors in the Hidden Demon Village.

**OoxXxoO**

Itachi sighed as he made his way out of the meeting room of the council building. The elders were happy with the successful mission and the entire team was put on stand-by until needed, their first vacation in a while.

The council didn't consisted of just any shinobi. They had to be the ninja who had once been apart of a six man cell. Uzumaki Kushina,the last Kasai and Naruto and Deidaras' mother. Kushina was a wild woman in her youth, many young men trying to tame the beautiful red head, but none succeeded. Well, all except for Namikaze Minato aka the Legendary Yellow Flash. He had tamed her heart and her attitude.

Then there was Hatake Kakashi, the last Raikou. His mother had died giving birth to him while his father, another powerful shinobi of the time, had committed suicide after a shameful loss in battle. He and Kushina were the only survivors of the previous group. The only two who had survived the terrible war that had claimed their friends and in Kushina's case, their family. Kakashi had also trained Sasuke. They were the only surviving members left of the group before Itachis'.

Even older than them would be Tsunade, she was Kage of her group also training Sakura and Hinata, Jiraiya, the Tei of Tsunades' group who trained the Legendary Minato and his son Naruto, and Orochimaru who was their Tsuchi. Itachi himself was trained by the man. These great shinobi, the best of the best of their time, were the ones guiding the present day six.

Itachi made his way through the now busy streets, towards the Uchiha compound when his ears picked up some interesting gossip. It was coming from the local teahouse, where most of the non-shinobi woman of the village spent their days.

"Did you hear, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura are dating."

"The Kage and the Raikou, they'd make some powerful children. Just like Kushina-sama and Minato-sama."

His fists clenched as he listened to the gossiping women. Itachi knew if he heard anymore his anger would get the best of him but unfortunately he heard what he least wanted to hear.

"They say he went into the jewelery shop and when he came out he held a little velvet box in his hand. They would make a beautiful couple, don't you think Towa-chan?"

That was it, he snapped. He need to find Sasuke or Sakura right away. Either beat his brother to a pulp or get Sakura to choose him. The first option seemed to be the better of the two to him, so in a puff of smoke, he was off to find his brother.

**OoxXxoO**

She was still sleeping when he returned. The blankets had twisted around her body, but left her chest exposed to him. It wasn't her chest he was looking at, though he liked looking there. It was her face, her pastel pink hair in a mess around her angelic features, her lips that were still puffy from his kisses that morning and the way she'd mumble his name occasionally. He had to admit that it was adorable and even sexy.

He stripped down to nothing but his bare skin, folding his clothes neatly afterwards and slipping between the sheets with the still sleeping Sakura. He pulled her close and tried to drift off into a nice sleep filled with her scent and her touch. Unfortunately for him, Sakura was starting to awaken. She rolled on top of him, placing her head on his chest. "Morning Sasuke-kun." She greeted as she yawned loudly.

"Morning." He was tired and just wanted to sleep so he placed his hands at the small of her back and closed his eyes. Sakura watched him, he knew she was, he could feel her eyes on him. Thus sleeping was hard to do. "Is there something you want Sakura?" He asked patiently.

"Nope." Was the simple answer he got. Well, wasn't she talkative this morning. He rolled them over so he was on top of her instead of the other way around and held himself above her. He looked down onto her curious face and gave her lips a soft, loving kiss. It was short and sweet. The next one wasn't. As he lowered his lips to hers, passion ignited between them. The room soon became scorching for the two lovers as they once again explored the others body.

A soft knocking could be heard in the room once they were about to have sex again. "Just let them think no one is home." Sasuke said as he kissed down her neck. She laughed at him and pushed him away. He rolled off her in frustration and ran his hands over his face. "Hurry back. Seriously, make this extremely quick Sakura." All she did was laugh some more as she threw on her robe and made her way to the living room of her apartment.

She opened the door to reveal a disheveled Naruto. "Naruto, is something wrong?" He wiped the sweat from his brow as he puffed out a yes. "Well?" It took him a few more seconds to get the exact statement out.

"Tsunade-baa wanted me to remind you that you have training at three." He turned to start running to his next destination when he noticed what she had on. "Uhm...You have company or something?" His big brother instincts were kicking in. He and Sakura had always had this kind of sibling bond, different than he and Deidara or even the Uchiha brothers. It was the "over protective obsessive, she can't pick the right guys for herself" instinct.

"As a matter of fact she does, dobe." Sasuke had gotten tired of Naruto getting in the way of his alone time with Sakura, so he dressed in a pair of boxers and admitted himself into the conversation. "And we have _things_ to do so if you don't mind, leave." With that he shut the door in the blonde's face, leaving Naruto blinking on confusion as to why Sasuke was over so early in the morning,

"Hey...Sasuke! What do you mean by things!" With much reluctance and a few fists to the door later, it opened revealing a frustrates Uchiha.

"What I can't spend time with my fiancé Naruto? If you weren't such a loser, you would have noticed our relationship. So I'm going to give you a simple summery of what Sakura and I are. We were dating and I asked her to marry me. The end. Sakura says thanks and bye." Once again the door was slammed into his face and he was left speechless.

"I knew it! I knew you were hot for Sakura, Sasuke!" Of course once he screamed that, the old lady that live two doors down the hall decided to walk out. She looked at him as it had just sprouted another head and ran, or rather waddled, back into her apartment, locking her door behind her. "Uh...I have nothing to say to that." So he rushed off to tell Hinata about his discovery today. See, you learning something new everyday, even if you're Naruto.

**OoxXxoO**

All was peaceful in the Hyuga compound as Hinata sipped her tea. She watched her younger sister Hanabi spar with their older cousin Neji. Neji was a very skilled shinobi and a gifted prodigy of the clan, unfortunately a slight breathing disorder prevented him from becoming a squad member like herself. It was something that many of the chuunin and higher up ninja thought would make him bitter because in their world nothing was more honorable then being a squad member, but Neji was very content with his life. He had made jounin at the age a fifteen and now five years later he lived a wonderful life with his wife Tenten, a weapons master and fellow jounin, and their eight month old son, Isas. Hinata laughed softly as she recalled the day he was born.

_Hinata waited in the hospitals waiting room, Neji pacing around looking at the door every five seconds and peeking through the window in it. Naruto had left her side to retrieve some coffee for the extremely stressed out father-to-be._

_"Imouto-chan, do you think she's alright? What if something went wrong? Oh God...I think I'm going to be sick." He collapsed onto the nearest chair and seemed to be hyperventilating. Scared, Hinata knelt next to him, saying to put his head between his legs, after all she was a skilled medic nin. Gently she rubbed the back of his head as his breathing started to calm down._

_"Nii-san..everything is alright and soon you'll see Tenten-chan and your new son, both healthy and happy."_

_A hour later Tsunade, the Kage of two generations before and also the extremely talented medic ninja Hinata had learned form, walked out of the delivery room, a huge smile on her face. "Congratulations Hyuga-san. You have a beautiful baby boy." She took his hand in hers and shook it, pulling him out of his chair and into the delivery room to see his wife and child._

She had never seen Neji lose his composure, not even once in her life, except for the fateful day his son was born. It was a memory she would be sure to share with the young Hyuga when he would be old enough to appreciate the humor.

"Good afternoon Hinata-chan." Speaking of Neji, his wife Tenten was someone that Hinata looked up to. She poured another cup of tea for the new comer, handing it to the older woman. "I finally got Isas down, he hasn't been sleeping well since he's been sick." Tenten took the cup gratefully, taking a big sip.

"Has the medicine I gave you been helping?" Hinata asked a little worried. Maybe the baby had gotten something worse than the flu. She wouldn't want to make the wrong diagnosis for anyone, especially her own nephew.

"Some what, he still has a small fever, but everything else seems to be getting better. I appreciate it."

"Oh, it's no problem. You know, if you continue to fuss over every little thing that makes Isas sick, you're going to become sick yourself Tenten." Hinata's voice was serious as she said it. The older woman had dark circles under her chocolate eyes and her beautiful chestnut hair that was usually done in two precise buns was now sloppily brought together in a loose ponytail.

"I know but..I don't want to mess up. I was talking to Neji's mother the other day and she said the same thing. She also admitted that she was doing what I was doing and no matter what everyone else said she was always so fussy with Neji. He would sneeze and she'd act as if he had just gotten the worst disease ever know to man kind." She laughed and it made Hinata feel better. It also made her wonder. When she and Naruto were going to have kids, would she act as her aunt and Tenten had acted? The answer? Probably.

"Hinata-chan!" Only one person she knew of would be screaming her name so enthusiastically. She set her tea cup down a smile plastered on her face. Her boy was here. He gave her a sweet kiss in greeting and sat down next to her.

"Hello Naruto. Would you like some tea?" She had known he was coming, he always had a way of showing up unexpectedly, even before they were dating. She once again poured a cup of tea and handed it to Naruto.

"Aww, you two are so cute together and Naruto, you are just so sweet to Hinata-chan, unlike a certain person who is no longer like that to their one and only wife." Tenten said, saying the last bit louder so her sparring husband could hear her. "Don't ever lose that Naruto, if you do you'll end up like mister grumpy over there." She pointed to Neji.

"Me, like Neji? Oh no, that would be almost as bad as all the ramen in the world being destroyed." How they all loved busting Neji's chops.

"Very funny. We're done for the day Hanabi, you can go." The girl gave a nod and off she went to who-knows-where. He walked over to the three and sat next to his wife, giving her a loving kiss on the cheek. "See I can be sweet."

"Now try it when she doesn't tell you to do it." Naruto announced innocently as he rubbed the back of his head. Neji just glared at him. "Have I ever mentioned how creepy it is to be glared at by Byakugan eyes?" Tenten slapped her husband on the shoulder and scolded him to not glare at 'the-man-who-knows-how-to-be-sweet-to-the-woman-he-loves'. Neji just put his hands up in defeat and poured himself some tea. So what if he wasn't the sweetest guy in the world, it had still been enough to get her to marry him, although he just kept that bit to himself.

"Hey...did any of you know Sasuke and Sakura are fuck buddies?" Naruto asked innocently. Neji, who had just taken a sip of his tea while the question was being asked, now had spat out the contents of his mouth everywhere on the table. Tenten laughed at him while giving him a few pats on the back and Hinata turned red from Naruto's bluntness. "Okay, they're not fuck buddies, they're engaged. Did anyone even know they were dating?" Tenten shook her head as she cleaned her husband off and Hinata shook her head as well. Neji just seemed to be annoyed with the younger man at the moment.

"I didn't even know they talked. After all...none of the Uchiha's really like Sakura, I mean they all think she 'stole' the position from Itachi. They still think that because Sakura is related to Tsunade that, that's the only reason why she's even Kage. I'm sure that if Hinata-chan or you, or even Deidara-san were chosen as Kage over Sakura, that they'd be complaining as well." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement at Tenten's analysis. Everything was quiet for a moment before Neji spoke up.

"Wait, they're engaged?"

**OoxXxoO**

Itachi ended up in front of Sakura Haruno's apartment door after having been summoned to the council building to be a messenger boy. Sakura had missed her three o'clock training session with her shishou and he was send to retrieve her. When asked why _he_ was the one to have to do such a trivial task the genjutsu user replied that since it was the Tsuchi's job as second in command and as the Kage's protector, he was the one responsible for her. Thus he was in front of her door, reluctantly knocking.

Sakura answered, rubbing her eyes in nothing but a thin robe. Oh the images he was getting from this scenario. When she realized who it was she wrapped the flimsy bit of fabric around herself more securely. "Kage-sama, you have been summoned by Lady Tsunade, the previous Kage two generations before. She is not pleased with you skipping out on your training, which she states that you need." He said it formally and quickly and as he was about to leave Sasuke decided to see whom it was. Both brothers glared at one another, making the temperature spike up a few degrees from the tension. Sakura was honestly afraid to move but as Itachis' eyes settled on her, she slightly flinched. "Got it?" His voice was blunt and rude, why bother being polite in front of his brother.

"Uh..yeah, Itachi..san." With the formality he had used she wasn't sure how to address him, so she to opted for formal. Sasuke wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her neck softly, keeping his eyes on his brother the entire time.

"Are you leaving with this ass? I mean as your future husband I have to watch out for you." He asked sweetly as he continued kissing her. Itachi's eyes widened briefly, never had his brother ever called him such a name. Sasuke had always had the highest respect for his nii-san but apparently when Sakura was added to the mix, both were just rivals for her love. Unfortunately for Itachi, Sasuke had beaten him in asking for her hand.

"Sasuke please, not now." Sakura said sternly, the one thing she didn't need at the moment was to deal with two male egos. "I'm going to see shishou. I missed training because of you." She pushed him off gently and looked at the other Uchiha. "Just wait a moment Itachi-san and I'll be ready." She moved away from the door and into her bedroom to get dressed.

Neither Uchiha moved, they just stood there glaring at each other even more intensely then before. "I heard you kissed her, is it true brother?" Sasuke's voice held a slight anger in it, one that he tried to keep hidden but failed.

"So what if it did? You going to fight me otouto? I'd kill you, then you wouldn't be in my way now would you?" The statement was said calmly but both knew the implications. If it came down to an all out brawls, Sasuke would lose. After all it was talent and skill that got Itachi the title of Tsuchi, not luck. Sakura had just stepped out of her room, refreshed and in proper training clothing; her long yet form fitting red top, black shorts, and black boots. She was tying her hitai-ate on when she noticed the two staring at her.

"What? Did I do something?" She decided not to really get into it. Instead she walked past Sasuke, giving him a quick kiss on the lips, and walked out the door. Itachi threw an uncaring glance at his brother before following after his leader.

Slowly and quietly they walked down the busy streets of their village. Not a word was exchanged between them until they had gotten a few streets away from the council building. Sakura decided to ask the question she had wanted to ask since the previous night. "Itachi, why did you kiss me?" She stopped after asking but Itachi kept walking. When she realized he wasn't going to stop, she caught up and grabbed a hold of his hand. "I asked you a question Tsuchi and as your Kage I expect to be answered."

"Isn't it obvious _Kage-sama_?" He pulled his hand out of hers roughly as he lashed out with his words. He was angry when he shouldn't be. It was his fault after all, he knew it was, so why was he so angry with her. Maybe because she had said yes to his stupid otouto's proposal? More than likely. He knew he was losing his composure, something he would never due no matter what was happening, so he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I have feelings for you Sakura but apparently I was too late in letting you know. It doesn't matter anymore, soon you'll be my sister-in-law, right?" They stayed silent after that until both went their separate ways, Itachi going with Orochimaru and Sakura going with Tsunade.

"Such tension is not good between teammates, it's not safe, especially between a Kage and her Tsuchi. I should know. Orochimaru and I were at each others throats all the time and that was probably the downfall of our generation's squad." Tsunade announced to her young apprentice. Her voice was tired as if she had, had to say that statement one too many times.

"I know shishou, I know."

**OoxXxoO**

**Review please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is completely in flashback. I am also looking for a beta so just let me know if you'd like to.**

**Disclaimer.**

**OoxXxoO**

_The heat was incredible on June nine th. It had climbed past the previous years high mark by a whole ten degrees. Unfortunately, at the Uchiha compound Mikoto Uchiha was giving birth to her first child. Bringing a child into the world was the most excruciatingly painful process for a woman on its own but unfortunately for Mikoto the heat added to the painful and uncomfortable activity._

_"Keep pushing Mikoto-san, I can see the crown of the baby's head." The blonde woman delivering the baby said. Mikoto was screaming, the pain feeling unbearable to her. Her husband, Fugaku Uchiha, was off at war fighting against strange creatures and their masters, keeping them from invading his homeland. Fugaku was the head of the Uchiha Clan so the medic delivering his first born had to be the best and the best he received in the form of Tsunade, the best medic in the village. "One more good push and the baby should be out." Mikoto let out another anguished scream and then silence. Of course until the baby started to cry. Tsunade smiled announcing it was a healthy baby boy. She cleaned him up and handed him to his mother. A tuft of soft coal hair was on his head while his eyes were pitch black._

_"Fugaku would want to name him, it's his first born after all." Mikoto closed her eyes after those words, falling into an exhausted slumber. Tsunade took the crying bundle before Mikoto passed out and handed the child to the nurse who was helping her._

_"Tsunade-sama, Tsunade-sama!" A chuunin shouted as he ran through the halls of the compound. Tsunade sighed as she finished closing Mikoto's door. She turned to the approaching ninja and put on a stern looking face._

_"What is it? Can't you see I'm-"_

_"Shizune, the Mizu, has been reported dead by enemy fire in battle." He cut her off. Tsunade was stunned. Shizune had been her apprentice, even though she had been Kage she was taught by the Mizu of her group who was older than herself. Her love, Dan. She had a very great talent when it came to medical jutsu and when her Dan died before he could have taught Shizune, Tsunade had taught the young girl instead. "I'm sorry Tsunade-sama, I know you two were rather close to one another. Her body is being brought as soon as possible." With that he left. Tsunade looked down, contemplating the situation._

_"And thus the new generation begins." She reopened the door and peered inside, watching the baby in the nurse's arms. "And it starts with you Uchiha."_

_**Tsuchi**_

**OoxXxoO**

_Two years had passed since then. The war was still raging on and the only child that had been qualified as one of the six was Itachi Uchiha, the one born on the same day the previous squad had been disbanded, though the remaining members were still fighting strongly to avenge their fallen member. Jiraiya walked around the village, it was so quiet as of late. Many shinobi had been coming and going just to see their families but they never stayed very long, after all everyone was depending on them. _

_A strange object caught his attention as he passed by the large gates to the entrance of the village. He immediately went into the defensive. Slowly he approached it. The closer he got, the clearer the object became until he could make out the small bundle. He knelt in front of it, his kunai poised at attention for anything that might happen. He reached his hand out cautiously. As his fingers touched the cloth, the bundle squirmed making him retract his hand. A surprised expression came onto his face as he opened the squirming thing. Inside was a baby, yellow blonde hair with two different colored eyes, one a brilliant blue, the other white with blindness._

_"Well hello there kid. Who would leave you out here all alone?" Of course the baby would not answer but he asked anyway. He unwrapped the babe from it's dirty sheet, taking off his vest and wrapping the boy in that. "Now are you a boy or a girl?" He moved the tiny cloth like diaper and sure enough it was boy. The baby was only a few weeks, maybe three months at the most from his observation. Then again, what does he know about kids?_

_Jiraiya played his finger against the boys hand, looking carefully over the small body for any injuries when something wet touched his finger. Thinking the child was hurt there he opened the boys palm, his eyes widening at seeing small slits on them. "Your hurt." Just as he was about the see how deep the tiny wounds were a small pink tongue poked out of the opening. "What the hell..." It poked out again, licking the skin surrounding the mouth. "I don't know what's up with you kid but I'll just let Tsunade take a look at you." So off he went, carrying the small bundle in his arms down to the hospital._

_Tsunade gave the child a clean bill of health, keeping him for a week or two so she could study what the mouths on his hands were. Tsunade named him Deidara, with the help of the oh-so-wise Jiraiya but still she could not make out what the mouths were for. At five months old he had gotten a hold of some model____clay that the sick children in the hospital were playing with. After that three walls had to be rebuilt in the children's wing of the hospital for extensive damage done by explosives._

_"Well at least now we know what those hands are used for Deidara. I have never heard of a bloodline limit quite like yours." The boy just smiled and laughed, clapping his hands together happily. He had a eye-patch over his left eye, light seemed to irritate it a lot, yet he was still a normal and happy child. Well, except for the ability to be able to make clay explosive._

_"Tsunade-sama? You wanted to see me?" A young woman in her twenties asked, her long red hair tied back in a loose ponytail._

_"Why yes Kushina-chan. I hear you and Minato-chan have been trying to have a child." The girl nodded while looking down, they tried everything but for some reason Kushina would not get pregnant, of course with the war still going on it was hard to find time for her and her husband to really try to conceive. "Well, how about adopting Deidara-chan here. After all I believe he will make a great shinobi someday."_

_**Kasai**_

**OoxXxoO**

_Tsunade sighed as she looked through the papers piled high in her office. It had been about four years since Deidara had started his training as Kasai of the new generation and sadly he and Itachi Uchiha were the only two children that were proven fit enough to become part of it. She reread the file in her hands._

_Hyuga Neji_

_Age: 1_

_Health: Has had difficulty breathing properly since six months old._

_Reason: A small time ninja found their way into the Hyuga compound for unknown reason. Ended up attacking the child in his sleep. __Coroner__ thought enemy to be intoxicated; Enemy killed by Hizashi Hyuga, the boy's father._

_The boy had been so promising, she was even thinking about him becoming Kage, the boy sure seemed to possess the potential for it. The energy and strength of the small child was what the Hyuga Clan had been looking for, a new prodigy that could compete with the Uchiha prodigy. Unfortunately for the accident, he couldn't. Certain activities and playing some games for long periods of time seemed to cause him to hyperventilate. A knock from her office door made her look up. A medic walked in after hearing an okay and handed her a report._

_"It's the girl that was born last Thursday." He announced with a smile, Tsunade had given him the order to survey newborns and dub them suitable for positions in The Six. "Her name is Sakura Haruno, born March twenty-eighth. No health problems and her reaction times are remarkable for a newborn. I believe she is capable of joining the squad. Although..." His voice trailed off, leaving the older woman confused._

_"What Raku? You just gave me a perfect report of this baby, what could possible be wrong?" She was impatient, four years had passed and new members needed to be trained as soon as possible._

_"It's not the baby per-say...it's the mother. She..has gone into depression and refuses to see the baby. She keeps going on about her husband, saying how it was the villages fault for his death in the war. He was a shinobi ranked jounin. I don't think it wise to talk to her about matters such as this while she's in the state she's in." For about the millionth time that day Tsunade sighed. Luck just wasn't on her side was it?_

_"Alright...I want her treated and keep that little girl in as perfect health as you can. I've waited four years I think a few months won't kill me." _

_Sakura's mother, Ichigo, was treated for depression as medic after medic tried to help her out. Tsunade watched as the young mother withered away. It was a case which she knew all to well. Ichigo was like a love-bird who's mate had just died. Once one dies the other just gives up on living no matter what's depending on them. Sakura's mother died two months later, peacefully in her sleep._

_Tsunade looked down into the crib, watching bright and innocent emerald eyes blink back at her. She hadn't dealt with a baby in ages, not since Deidara. Gently she smoothed back the baby's cotton-candy pink hair as the little girl yawned. Behavior like this made her regret not having children, unfortunately Dan died before they could even say their I do's. "Don't worry little one, I'll take care of you. Just like I did Shizune..." Within the month Tsunade had taken Sakura Haruno to live with her, to train her and to make her one of the best._

_**Kage**_

**OoxXxoO**

_Once again Tsunade was at the Uchiha estate, this time delivering Mikoto's second son. The woman lay in bed, looking ill as Tsunade took her blood pressure. "I'm sorry that you have the flu Mikoto-san but this baby isn't going to wait. Your contractions are a few minutes apart so you have some time before we had to start." The pregnant woman just moaned, almost crying. She remembered the pain of Itachi's birth and that was in the heat. This time not only was it hot, but she was sick as well._

_"Okaa-san?" A little head poked in through the door, watching it's mother. Itachi Uchiha was a prodigy, he was already at jounin level and he was only six years old. Tsunade was going to give him the title of Kage, unfortunately the boy didn't seem too stable to her, like he could snap at any moment, she wouldn't blame him for it if he did. With a father like Fugaku Uchiha it was hard not to be perfect and in Tsunade's own opinion a child should not have that much weight placed upon their shoulders._

_"Well hello there my little Tsuchi. How are you today?" She greeted happily. "You know I delivered you just as I'm about to do for you're new brother."_

_"Greetings Kage-sama." He gave a generous bow to the older woman and ran to his mother's bed. He hopped up gracefully and sat on the edge, watching the going ons of the women. "Father says that my brother will be one of the six just like myself. Is it true?"_

_"Uhm..well. I'd have to see if your brother was healthy enough to be part of your squad Itachi-chan, but he could be." She gave him a small pat on the head. She noticed his eyes were distant, as if he was thinking things way beyond his years. In fact, she was sure that was what he was doing. A loud scream brought her attention back to the boy's mother._

_"It hurts!" Mikoto screamed as she coughed. Tsunade told the medic, good ol' Raku, to get the boy out of the room as she tended to the Uchiha matriarch. A hour later the screaming from the room stopped and was replaced by the cries of a baby. Tsunade cut the umbilical cord and placed the boy onto a nearby table. She cleaned him off, wrapping him in a new blue blanket and handed him to his mother. _

_Mikoto's second son also had dark hair, but not as dark as his older brothers. Instead of coal it was a soft raven color with the slightest blue tinge to it, just like his mother's hair. The resemblance between older and younger son didn't differ much after that since both had the intense pitch black eyes, which both also inherited from their mother._

_"Raku, please write this down. Uchiha, male, born 1:54 pm on July twenty-third, perfectly healthy from what I can see, and place the title of Raikou onto the chart as well. We'll keep him in reserve and check on him in a few months to see it he's fit to join. Mikoto-san his first name?"_

_"Hmm? Oh, his name is Sasuke after my father." She smiled as she handed the babe back to Tsunade. "I don't want to get him sick." She closed her eyes and slept. Tsunade felt bad for the woman, both of her labors were more uncomfortable then they should have been._

_"Can I come back in now?" The older Uchiha asked as he once again peeked his head in through the door. He waited for an answer before fully coming in. He walked over to Tsunade, who was still holding his new brother. "He's really small...How can he be a great shinobi when he looks so weak?" The question caught her off-guard. The boy could memorize complex assassination strategies but he didn't know that babies grew up and became stronger like him?_

_"Don't worry Itachi-chan, with your help he'll grow up to be strong just like his onii-chan, alright?" The boy gave a nod and continued to stare at the crying infant._

_"Can I hold him?" After showing him how to properly hold the child, she sat next to the brothers, watching. "His name was Sasuke, right?"_

_**Raikou**_

**OoxXxoO**

_Jiraiya sat in the living room of his favorite student, Minato Namikaze. The boy, well at least compared to his age he was a boy, was nervously playing with his adopted son Deidara. The screaming from the upstairs room continued. He and his wife Kushina Uzumaki had finally conceived, which caused the former Kasai to be withdrawn from the war. She made him promise to not let her go threw the labor alone so he made Tsunade give him a leave a week before his wife was due to deliver. Now here he was on October tenth, sitting in his living room listening to his wife curse and scream from their bedroom._

_"Tou-san, what's wrong with Kaa-chan?" The little boy asked. Now at age five, he was a talented shinobi. His blind eye had a special machine over it, allowing him to see a person's chakra signature. It was something that Tsunade had come up with, developing it after the Hyuga Family's Byakugan._

_"Well, she's having your little brother right now Dei-chan and it hurts her a lot." He picked the little guy up and sat him on his lap. Deidara scrunched his face up and looked at his father._

_"But why is the baby hurting her? How is he hurting her? Is Kaa-chan going to be okay?" _

_"Uhm..." Minato could see his teacher snickering in the background. "Hey Dei-chan, how's training going with your friends. Is Orochimaru-sama a better teacher than Kaa-chan?" The subject had to be changed or it would lead to the birds and the bees lecture way before the boy should hear it._

_"No. I don't like him. Kaa-chan is a betterer teacher. Sakura-chan is really cute though but she's tiny and can't do much, just like Sasuke. Itachi's mean and a jerk." He jumped off his fathers lap in his excited talking and walked over to Jiraiya._

_"Dei-chan, betterer is not a word. You say Okaa-san is better than." Minato corrected him._

_"Don't worry about it Minato, the boy doesn't need to speak properly. He's only five after all. You can say betterer if you want Dei-chan." Jiraiya winked as he patted the boy on the head._

_"How old is everyone? I haven't been in the village in a long time and since I've been back I haven't gotten to really see the next batch. They can't be that old, right? I can't even remember how old I was when my training began." Minato asked as he rubbed the back of his head. Once again he felt the need to change the subject._

_"Itachi is seven, of course Dei-chan here is five and Sakura and Sasuke are both only a year. You were trained since you could walk, I would know. I was the one who trained you all that time." Both teacher and student laughed at the memories being shared. The silence of the upstairs room was finally noticed and father, son and teacher all made their way upstairs. Tsunade stood outside the door with a stern look on her face. Minato instantly rushed to her, wanting to know what was wrong._

_"Kushina has extensive bleeding and needs to be rushed to the hospital so I can properly treat her. Just a heads up, when she gets back on her feet you two won't be able to have anymore children, she could die the next time." She opened the door and in Minato ran, taking a hold of his wife's hand. He was smoothing back her hair and murmuring sweet nothings into her ear._

_"What about the baby Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked as he held Deidara in his arms. The boy was struggling, wanting to see what was wrong with his mother. Minato looked up at her wanting to know as well. He had forgotten the baby truth be told. The sight of his wife was what immediately took over his train of thought._

_"The baby is healthy with a great set of vocal cords. He's in Dei-chan's room if you want to see him." Kushina stirred and looked around, she felt cold and tired._

_"I want to see my baby. Minato where's my baby." She tried to get up but was softly pushed back down. Her husband gave her a reassuring smile, telling her to go back to sleep and sure enough she did. Within the next fifteen minutes she was in surgery to stop the internal bleeding._

_Minato held his newborn son. According to Jiraiya the boy was the spitting image of himself, the bright yellow blonde hair and the sky blue eyes. All was alike except for the whisker like birthmarks on the baby's face. "What do you think we should name him Dei-chan?" He asked his other son. The boy had been quiet since his mother had gone into surgery and Minato needed a response from him._

_"Kaa-san likes that book Jiraiya wrote." He said randomly. His father gave him a strange look before he finished. "The one with the guy named Naruto. I think that would be a good name for him. Kaa-chan says that, that guy is very amerable, I mean admirable." The kid had a point and so Minato smiled, cradling the sleeping baby gently._

_"Alright, Naruto it is."_

_Kushina's surgery went over fine. Both parents were incredible happy, until of course, Minato had to return to fighting. Kushina was off on maternity leave. It was hard to raise the boys on her own, but much needed help came in the form of a white-haired pervert. The father got to see his sons once or twice a month, until a letter was sent to the Namikaze/Uzumaki residence._

_Dear Kushina Uzumaki,_

_The war has finally come to an end thanks to your husband, Minato Namikaze. Unfortunately in order to end the war, his life was claimed in the process. His sacrifice has saved countless lives and Lady Tsunade, head of the council, has requested your presence for word of preparation for the ceremonies in honor of our fallen hero._

_I'm sorry for the loss of your husband,_

_Hatake Kakashi, your friend, family and Raikou._

_P.S._

_I'm not as heartless as you think I am. Tsunade-sama requested I write this to you and it's taking everything I have to keep myself from crying. Minato was one of my best friends as are you. Obito and Genma have also passed on in the line of battle. It is just you and I that are left of our once great squad. I love you Kushina._

_She had completely collapsed into herself, not wanting to believe that the love of her life was now gone. Deidara had discovered her, crying in bed cradling his brother tightly after he returned from his training with Orochimaru. He dropped his things and ran to her. She held him just as tightly as he started to cry too. He didn't know why he did so, but he felt as if something left him._

_Jiraiya had ran off towards the house as soon as he received the news of his students death. He had explained death to Deidara and comforted Kushina, who refused to let go of her sons. It took two years to have the loud and bubbly girl that had married the villages savior back._

_**Tei**_

**OoxXxoO**

_A year had passed since the war had ended. Kakashi Hatake and Kushina Uzumaki had become council members, it was their right after all. The squad had only five members. Itachi Uchiha was the Tsuchi, Deidara Uzumaki was the Kasai, Sakura Haruno was the Kage, Sasuke Uchiha the Raikou and Naruto Uzumaki the Tei. They still needed their sixth member who came to be in the winter month of December on the twenty-seventh._

_The Hyuga compound was in a frenzy. The head of the clan, Hiashi Hyuga, was having his first child. He had been disappointed with the fact that he was having a daughter while his twin brother had, had a son but a swift smack from his wife straightened the man out. Tsunade had come to deliver his daughter, as she had done ever since the new six had to be picked out._

_He waited outside of the compounds birthing room, which was just like the hospitals delivery room except it was only for Hyuga family members. His brother was with him an assuring hand placed on his shoulder. Hiashi's wife had gone into labor a few hours ago and apparently the baby was just coming out._

_"Ah, I remember when you were the one reassuring me nii-san." Hizashi laughed. It was true, when his own wife had gone into labor he was a mess and the only thing keeping him sane was his big brother. It was nice to have the tables turned._

_"Yeah, yeah, yeah...whatever you say." He watched the doors to the birthing room as if they would tell him what was going on. A nurse finally came out, smiling happily as she announced the arrival of the new Hyuga heiress. She dragged the clan leader into the room to see his wife and their new baby girl. _

_To him, both of the females in front of his were beautiful. His wife, was smiling softly at him as she fed the baby. Pearl white eyes looked around the room to take in all the new sights. Her hair a soft purplish color. Hiashi moved to his wife's side and placed a soft kiss to her temple. "She's adorable."_

_"Yes she is." Tsunade said as she washed her hands. "If she ends up having great chakra control you can bet that she will be Mizu. In fact, I'll train her myself." She couldn't pass up the opportunity. A Hyuga medic would be a great asset to the team and the fact that a Hyuga had slipped through her grasp already was enough to jump at the chance. "Congrats to you Hyuga-san." _

_"Hinata will be the perfect Mizu" He announced with pride._

_**Mizu**_

**OoxXxoO**

_At the age of thirteen Itachi Uchiha had the first mission with the team. Sure they had been on missions before, but they always had an experienced ninja with them. Sakura Haruno, seven, listened to Tsunade throughly. She and Itachi were told the details and then it was their job to brief the others and lead the team to success._

_"Understand you two, this isn't one of those C-rank or B-rank missions you're usually on. This is A-rank and that means it's important." It was a simple A-rank but a A-rank none the less. Both nodded and left the room. Sakura had to jog a little to keep up with the older boy but happily went off ._

_The younger Uchiha leaned against a store wall as he watched the hyperactive Naruto bounce off the walls. Deidara wanted to see what would happen if he gave his brother a few pixie-stix. The boy was hyper enough but adding the pure sugar that was a pixie-stick he was a blur to the eye._

_"Naruto-kun...uh p-please calm down." Hinata stuttered. The shy heiress was always studdering, especially around the hyperactive blonde._

_"Here they come guys." The older blonde said was he whacked his brother over the head, knocking him down. They all watched as Itachi and Sakura came into view. "Whoa...are they holding hands." Naruto and Deidara started to laugh as Sasuke stood quietly watching and Hinata looked confused._

_"Itachi has a girlfriend!" Naruto screamed when they were in hearing range._

_"Itachi and Sakura sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g." Sang Deidara as he joined in his brother's taunting. Quickly Itachi let go of the girls hand, surprisingly keeping his cool._

_"I'm her Tsuchi, it's my job to do as she wants me to do. She was nervous so I held her hand to comfort her. Grow up you two losers." His voice was calm with only the slightest hint of annoyance._

_"You son of a-" Deidara started, until of course he remembered what happened the last time he had cursed. His mother had found out and beat him black and blue. It was an experience that he would prefer not to repeat in his life._

_"Can we just get this mission over with?" Sasuke said, officially making his presence known. He looked away from the group angrily not wanting to see his brother or their Kage. Sakura and Itachi let the mission details loose as they began heading out of the village._

_And so their first A-rank mission began._

_Things had gone wrong. Very wrong in fact. They had been ambushed, of course for them they were the prodigies of their village and could easily take out the four jounin attacking them. It was smooth sailing until a few more showed up and a few more after that and so on and so forth. They found themselves splitting into three groups of two; Tsuchi and Kage, Kasai and Tei, and Raikou and Mizu. It was dangerous with Hinata being their main medic and all, but it was a decision that Sakura, with the help of Itachi, had come up with. They were all to head to the village and the first team to make it was to bring reenforcement._

_Sakura gasped as she leaned against the tree Itachi and herself were hiding behind. There had been another four enemy ninja following them last time they had checked. Both were exhausted and wanted nothing more than to just give up. They both knew though that the enemy would have an advantage on their comrades and village if they did though._

_"Do you think we're going to die Ita-kun?" Sakura asked. Itachi had jumped up into the tree for a better vantage point and was now looking at her with a serious face. "I've had a bad feeling all day. Maybe is was a warning about my death." She started breathing heavier as the words slipped through her lips. Her mind was racing and she was shaking from more than fear of being found._

_"Sakura?" Itachi climbed down and took hold of the younger child. Her eyes were frantic and she seemed to be hyperventilating. He knew something was wrong with her and he started to panic. The last thing they needed was her to go hysterical on him, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He kissed her. It was both of their first kisses. He stood there with his lips pressed to hers, not moving them or anything. It was very chaste. A few seconds later he pulled away with his cheeks a soft pink, almost invisible on the dusk light. "I told you Sakura, I'll protect you with my life. As Tsuchi it is my job to keep you safe."_

_"Ita-kun..." She launched herself into his arms and cried silently. For being attacked, almost killed and having a emotional breakdown, the situation was being taken pretty well._

_It had taken the rescue squad till the afternoon of the next day to locate the two children. Sakura was out cold, having fallen asleep in her companions arms. Both were treated for minor cuts and scrapes and after hearing the report Itachi had given her, she tested her student. Fortunately the girl had only suffered from her fears rather than having anything wrong with her._

**OoxXxoO**

_The elemental squad sat in a local teahouse, enjoying their first day off in a very long time. Itachi was now twenty and felt some what out of place with the younger shinobi. Deidara was eighteen, Sakura and Sasuke were fourteen, Naruto was thirteen, while the timid Hinata was only twelve. So out of place. He was so much older. He watched his younger brother and the loud mouth blonde's, who acted just like their mother, argue about stupid teenage stuff. Deidara thought he knew better than the younger teens, since he was an "eighteener"._

_"Hey Ita-kun." His charge greeted as she sat next to him. Whenever she was around he felt like a pedo. He liked her very much and not in the sisterly way either. Damn hormones, he needed to get laid very soon. He gave her a curt nod and continued to watch the younger members of his squad. Yes his squad, not Sakura's and it will continue to be his squad until Sakura turned eighteen and was officially responsible for her own actions. "Something wrong? You seem tense Itachi." She placed her hand on his shoulder and his body tensed up. "Oops sorry, I forgot about the no touching rule."_

_"It's alright Kage." He addressed her. Her eyes were downcast at his formality. Lately he had been getting distant and she didn't know why. Was she doing something wrong?_

_"Sakura come and play, we need a fourth player. Nii-san doesn't want to join us 'little' kids." Naruto joked. "Unfortunately you have to be on a team with mister happy pants over her. While the lovely Hina-chan is on a team with me." He had pointed to Sasuke who glared at his best friend. She gave one more fleeting look to Itachi before running off to join in the game._

_"Sakura, why do you always want to hang around my brother?" Sasuke asked as he walked his leader home, after all he was a gentleman. At least that's what his mother told him to be. She turned her head to look at him, giving a thoughtful expression._

_"I guess it's because he's my Tsuchi. It's like it's programmed that we have to be compatible with one another. That and..." She blushed slightly and turned her head. The young Uchiha watched her, he had a the feeling of anger course through his body when he saw her blush while talking about his brother. "He gave me my first kiss."_

_"What?" He gaped. Itachi was six years older than them and giving someone as young as Sakura a kiss on the lips...wait. "Was it a kiss on the cheek or..?" _

_"Well...It was a kiss on the lips. My first and only. Remember our first A-rank mission." He nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Well when it was just the two of us I got scared and he gave me a kiss. It was really nice and sweet." Both were silent as they continued walking, she in her own little fantasy world and he thinking over the information he had just received._

_Finally they had made it to her house and she bid him goodnight before heading to the door. "Sakura." He shouted before she went in. She turned around only to be met up close and personal with Sasuke. His lips brushed hers' softly before he looked down at the ground, his face slightly red. "I really like you Sakura-chan. Anyway, I have to go." And off he went, disappearing into the night as all ninja have the ability to do. Unconsciously her fingers touched her lips. They were tingling and it brought a small smile to her face. If Itachi was a lost cause to go after, maybe the younger Uchiha would be the better boyfriend candidate. She slipped into her house quietly after that to start some training with her Aunt Tsunade._

_"You saw Sakura home safely, right otouto?" Itachi asked his younger brother. As he looked the boy over he noticed that he was red. "Did you get into a fight with her, you're all red."_

_"Uh, no I didn't get into a fight with her nii-san." He made a move to walk away from Itachi when he decided that he needed some advice. "Itachi-nii, can I ask you something?"_

_"You just did and there goes your one question for the day privilege."_

_"Ack, aniki this is important, it's about girls." Itachi laughed. He couldn't help it. He thought his little brother's pride would get in the way of him ever wanting girl advice. Itachi knew the younger boy was frustrated since he had used three different nicknames to call him._

_"Alright Sasuke I'll help you, but you have to tell me absolutely everything." And so Sasuke told him. He told his big brother that he really liked Sakura, that he had kissed her and that he knew that Itachi had kissed her before him._

_Itachi was silent for a while before he gave Sasuke five simple words to follow. "Stay away from Sakura Haruno." With that he left, the younger was hurt badly but refusing to show it. After that incident the brother drifted even farther apart than they already were. Of course both kept the faithful incident to themselves and of course both still pursued Sakura Haruno in their own ways._

**OoxXxoO**

**Very angsty at the end, ne? I like the ItaSaku pairing as well (you can probably tell). It was a lot longer than the other chapters. I hope you all enjoyed. It would really get me motivated if I got some more reviews. One more thing, I have the story all planned out and if I wanted I could make it into a two part story. Give your opinion to help me out here. Thankies.**

**Oh yeah, just so you know;**

**Obito Uchiha was the Kage of the group, Genma was the Tsuchi, Shizune was the Mizu, Minato was the Tei, Kushina was the Kasai and Kakashi was the Raikou. **

**That was just in case you got confused about who was on the team at the time of the war.**

**Geeze that was a long authors note...and now I'm just making it longer. .**


	3. Chapter 3

**Standard disclaimer.**

**OoxXxoO**

Sakura Haruno was tired, so very tired. All she wanted to do was crawl into her nice warm bed, maybe warm because a certain Uchiha was in it, and sleep, or cuddle if said Uchiha was there. Tsunade had been ecstatic to hear about her engagement but worked her like a dog for being late to training. Some people were just cruel and Tsunade was definitely one of those people.

"See you next time Sakura-chan." Tsunade waved happily, a wide grin on playing on her lips, to the pink haired girl as she sluggishly made her way down the street.

The night was cool and the breeze that blew through the streets was soothing. Sakura enjoyed it very much as she took her time. Her hopes of an Uchiha in her bed could wait a little longer. The moon was in a crescent, not illuminating her path very well but the silvery light it did give off gave the scenery a peaceful look. As she paused to take a deep breath she noticed someone following her. Her body didn't even tense for she knew who it was. She had noticed him following her since a few blocks before. The person's chakra color was a dark purple with a creepy feeling to it.

"It's beautiful, isn't Orochimaru-sama?" He gave a slight chuckle at her words, walking into her view. She never liked the man, he was a creepy bastard. Tsunade had told her that Orochimaru and herself had never gotten along, which ultimately led to the downfall of their team. She would admit it was partly her fault, he on the other hand, would never admit that he, 'The Great Orochimaru', could have ever had a hand in making his team not able to function. Tsunade's early warning about how a tension between a Kage and Tsuchi.

"Yes it is, Kage-sama." He said as he walked closer. Her body tensed up not liking the close proximity between them. She took a few steps back, watching him closely. Something seemed off about him tonight.

"Was there something you wanted Orochimaru-sama?" Her voice was calm as she asked the older ninja. A bad feeling was creeping up her spine, just as it had done when Itachi and herself were hiding form those shinobi.

"Well Sakura-_chan_, there is something wrong." Anger was in his voice to emphasis the chan part. He stepped up close to her, taking a loch of pastel pink hair between his fingers. "You see, you seem to be distracting my student and it is very important that he not be. I did not wait all this time for him to be obsessed over a girl in the end." He yanked her head back to look into his eyes, those serpent eyes. His slit like pupils dilated and without warning he did some sort of jutsu. Sakura didn't even see his hand signs, or maybe he didn't even use any.

Suddenly her body went still in fear. She was frozen in place and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to move away. Her mind was racing as if she was thinking her last thoughts. Memories flashed before her eyes; her kiss with Itachi, both of them. All of her memories with the team, the happiness that they had shared. They were a family after all. Finally Sasuke filled the chaos in her head. Their first kisses, all the sweet nothings she could remember him telling her, their first time together and the many times after that. All the things that were going on in her head, all through the chaos of her random thoughts one thought in particular was loud an clear in her mind. _I'm going to die._

Orochimaru watched as the woman before him started to crumple into a pile on the cold hard ground. A smirk formed on his lips at the sound of her harsh and erratic breathing. Oh how he loved watching fear flow over the faces of others. He was told by Tsunade about how intense fear affected their little Kage and he had a great mind when it came to making people think about their fears. Her hand reached to clutch at her chest, right where her heart was as her face paled dangerously along with her once pink lips.

He walked away happily, leaving Sakura in a fetal position.

**OoxXxoO**

He had waited all night for her to get back from her training with the old woman and around midnight when she hadn't returned he knew that something was wrong. Sakura would have, should have, been home by now. Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh as he ran his fingers through the spikes at the back of his head. Grabbing his coat, he walked out the door to find his lover.

**OoxXxoO**

She was warm and wet. Did she fall asleep in the shower again? It wouldn't have been the first time. Snuggling back into the warmth, her bare flesh met a solid and chiseled chest. Did she fall asleep in the shower with Sasuke? Once again, it wouldn't have been the first time. After a minute or two she realized it wasn't a shower she had fallen asleep in, it was a bath. What a way to damper her poor Sasuke-kun's mood by falling asleep in one of his 'romantic' gestures...again.

Her eyes fluttered open and scanned the water slowly. Long black hair slowly moved on the water's surface. It hit her then. Sasuke didn't have long hair.

Feeling her tense up the male behind her let out a relief filled breath. "Finally you're awake." Itachi said. He had found her a half a hour ago, shaking and crying on the street. She had been unresponsive and extremely cold with dull eyes staring into a far away place. It was the scariest experience in his life finding her like that, although he would never admit that. "How are you feeling?"

Unlike him, she was very uncomfortable to be in a bathtub, naked with her future brother-in-law. He had seen all of her, from head to toe, unclothed and her arms came up to cover her breasts for modesty's sake. "I'm..alright I guess. Now answer me, why are we both in a tub naked?" She coughed slightly out of embarrassment.

"You were ice cold and I needed to get your body temperature back up. You're a medic so you know that there is nothing like the warmth of another body to heat a person up. The hot water helped as well and I couldn't exactly leave you in the tub by yourself now could I? As for nakedness, I wasn't going to get my clothes, as well as your own, wet. You're health is more important than modesty." His answer was very logical. Of course Itachi Uchiha had nothing to be modest about. She settled her body back into his. He was her Tsuchi and she could only count two different events where she had felt uneasy with him in her presence, why make the short list longer?

Her head rested against his chest, her eyes closed. He was behaving nicely, keeping his hands to himself and even managing to not get an erection from having her naked body pressed against his. Maybe her body wasn't as appealing as she had thought it was. His lips gave the top of her head a soft kiss as he too, made himself comfy.

"What happened Sakura? What got you like that?" He asked quietly with his own eyes closed.

She frowned. She didn't remember much. Only fear, death and something else she couldn't exactly remember so she thought a little harder. Eyes, creepy looking eyes, but what kind? After some more thinking it hit her. Serpent eyes; Orochimaru. "It was...Orochimaru-sama, I think."

Itachi stiffened at the mention of his teacher. "Orochimaru-sensei? Why would he go after you?"

"Because of you..." Her voice trailed off from her confession. She hadn't meant to say it, but when she thought over Orochimaru's words she remember. '_You see, you seem to be distracting my student and it is very important that he not be. I did not wait all this time for him to be obsessed over a girl in the end.' _After that the fear came. She took a deep breath, not wanting to remember what she had seen or heard in the visions. "I need to go Itachi." She began to stand but a hand on her bare waist made her stop.

"What did he do to you?" His voice was stiff with anger as he gripped her arms to keep here from moving away. He would have never figured that the old snake would go this far. Guilt was creeping up his spine and Itachi was not one for feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry Ita-kun, please let me leave." There was the barest hint of tears in her eyes as she spoke and he reluctantly let his hand fall down her skin. He watched her take a towel and start to dry herself, thinking it was best if he just stayed where he was sitting. The water had gone cold as if without her body, there was no warmth to it.

She grabbed her clothes that were folded neatly on the sink and dressed quickly. With a click of the door she was gone, once again going back to his younger brother. He tilted his head back against the tiled wall and closed his eyes once again. He needed to relax before he did something he would regret later on.

**OoxXxoO**

"Sasuke-kun? I'm home." The kunoichi announced as she slipped her boots off. The air outside had been colder then before and her damp hair from her bath time adventure with Itachi made it even colder. When she heard no response from her lover she wondered if he had gone home instead of waiting for her to return. She walked through her house into her bedroom and looked over at the oh-so-inviting bed. Moving over to her dresser, she pulled out some sweats and a sweatshirt. So she was colder than she expected to be, the clothes she held would surely warm her up.

After changing into the nice warm winter clothes she snuggled underneath the covers of her bed and sighed in relaxation. Maybe it was better Sasuke wasn't here. After training, Orochimaru's psychotic rampage and the Itachi fiasco, she need some alone time. She looked over at the clock, reading that is was almost four. Her eyes fluttered close once, twice and then they stayed shut, letting her sleep peacefully.

The front door opened and closed, awakening her. She looked at he clock on her bedside table, the bright red lights telling her it was four ten in the morning. She rubbed her eyes as the door to her bedroom hastily opened. A disheveled Sasuke was slightly out of breath and staring at her.

"Sakura...where the hell were you?" Relief flooded into those words as he walked over to the bed and sat down, taking her form into his arms. She nuzzled her head against his hard chest and let out a content sigh. Compared to his brother, Sasuke was much warmer.

"Training with shishou then I fell asleep in the park. After that I came home to an empty house." She announced casually. She didn't believe it would be a good idea if she mentioned that she also had a bath with his brother. No lies were told, just some things were left out and some places were changed.

"I see..." He knew she was lying. He had searched the park after going to Tsunade's. The old medic had announced that Sakura had left a few hours or so before and so he searched almost the entire village going back to her apartment after not finding her. When she still wasn't home he decided that another sweep was needed.

"Come to bed with me. Unfortunately I'm not in the mood for anything too physical so only sleeping and maybe a little cuddling. I would love the cuddling Sasuke-kun." She wrapped her arms around his neck as she started to lower herself down onto her bed. He gave no fight, kicking off his shoes as he lay his head on her chest. Sleep would be a nice comfort to both of them.

**OoxXxoO**

Itachi stared off into the river as the small waves it created swept over his shoes. He had been out there since Sakura had left him to go to his brother. Sasuke...the name ignited much rage in his body. He had lost to his younger brother and there weren't many Uchiha's that could or rather would, handle defeat gracefully.

"You know, eventually you're going to get a cold. And if your face stays in that scowl any longer, it's going to stay that way." A voice said from behind. Shisui Uchiha, his best friend/older brother/cousin, had walked over to him just to annoy him for the heck of it. Or maybe just to try and cheer him up. "I hear Sasuke and Sakura-sama are to be married." No, it apparently was the first one. "I also hear that you're father threatened to disown Sasuke if he proceeded to do so. Something about how a woman should not be above her husband in any way." He laughed slightly as he recalled his raging Oba-san Mikoto doing a bad impression of the event. She had also proceeded to tell him about how she gave her husband the scariest lecture of his life after Sasuke had stormed out the door.

"Shut up Shisui."

Said man sighed as he looked over at his cousin. He had never seen Itachi like this and he wasn't exactly sure what he had to do to help him. "So...you want to talk about it?" Silence once again. "You really love her Itachi?" This time he got a response. Itachi had looked over at him with an intense glare.

He chuckled, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I've known you my entire life kid. I watched how you reacted with her. You were always so gently, so caring with everything you did for her. I've known you've loved her for a very long time. I was actually shocked to hear that she was engaged to Sasuke-chan."

"I was too late in acting in accordance to my feelings. Sasuke got to her first and I...lost." The last word was said with much venom. It was a word that Itachi would rather not have in his vocabulary.

"If you hate losing why not fight for her? Talk to her about how you feel, how she feels. Try and win her away from Sasuke maybe?" Shisui said as he looked out onto the moving water. It seemed to put him in a trance. The light from the moon reflecting over the small waves in the middle, or the crash that was heard as those waves hit shore. Itachi tilted his head in the direction of his best friend. The words he spoke were true but he had already talked to Sakura about the situation, hadn't he?

"I will think of something. I assure you of that." It was a promise. Itachi Uchiha would not let Sasuke be happy. Not while he, Itachi that is, had his heart ripped out. This girl had wormed her way through his defenses just as his mother, Shisui, and a long time ago, Sasuke, had done. "I'll see you around Shisui." The man in question raised his hand in farewell as Itachi disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

He decided he'd take a peek in on Sakura. He casually made his way down the deserted streets in the early morning to go and check up on the girl. The girl he knew would be in the arms of another. He must be a masochist since all he was doing was hurting himself. With a sigh he stopped. Long fingers combed through his hair as he contemplated what he should do.

"Isn't it a lovely night, Itachi?" An eerie voice said from his right. In the shadows stood Orochimaru, his arms crossed lazily over his chest as he leaned against a nearby wall. Anger filled him at the sight of the man, the man that had caused Sakura to break down. The old Tsuchi quickly took notice to his students change in aura and put his hands up in defense. "I'm not here to start anything Itachi, well not really anyway. I just wanted you to meet a...friend of mine."

"I want nothing to do with you traitor. You have no right to the title of Tsuchi." It was blunt and straight to the point. Why bother wasting his breath on someone who would hurt a comrade. He turned to leave when a sword came at him. He dodged swiftly as his face went into an emotionless mask.

The man was tall and bulky as he stood near Orochimaru who may have been tall but he definitely wasn't as big as the newcomer. He wore a black cloak with red clouds sewn in, his face covered by a large straw hat. The newcomer held a giant sword covered in what seemed to be bandages. When he looked up his blue face was shark-like, beady little black eyes and small razor teeth could be seen as he grinned broadly at the Uchiha. "He's fast Orochimaru. Very fast in deed."

"This is HoshigakiKisame and I believe that he can help you. He has some propositions for you to join our cause." Orochimaru smiled at his student, if Itachi still refused he had an idea of what would make him change his answer. As he had thought Itachi shook his head in disgust and started to walk away. "He can help you get Sakura." Those words made Itachi freeze.

"Hn." Itachi mumbled as he turned around. How could this man help his win Sakura over. "I'm listening." Both Orochimaru and Kisame laughed as they started to tell the younger man to follow and stay quiet as they made their way out of the village.

**OoxXxoO**

It was dark where they had taken him. Itachi took in surroundings very carefully. They had moved their little meeting into the woods that helped hide the villages' locations. The moon was hardly viewable through the dense branches and leaves of the trees.

"Now, what did you want exactly?" The youngest man asked as he watched the two other nin. Orochimaru he was not concerned about. He knew that if it came down to a fight he could take his sensei down without any trouble. This Kisame character though, he knew none of his moves or of his true speed. Most importantly, Itachi had no idea what type of jutsu that he used. The symbol on the man's hitai-ate, the kanji for mizu was carved unto it, the only unusual thing about it was that a slash was sliced through the symbol.

"You're from Kawagakure and the slash through your villages symbol reveals that you are a missing ninja. One who abandons their own village for their own selfish reasons." Itachi's assumption was calm. Kawagakure, or rather the Village Hidden in the River, was one of the three other top ninja villages in their world.

Kawagakure was one of the most vicious ninja villages out there. Nothing was more important than accomplishing your mission and if you had to kill a teammate or an innocent bystander to do it then those from that village would see it through. In ranking, Kawagakure was second in their strength and riches only to Onigakure.

"Smart kid you have here Orochimaru." Kisame said with a laugh. He seemed to be having a great time, lucky him because Itachi didn't exactly feel the same way. "Now about your girl problem..."

**OoxXxoO**

It was a beautiful Friday morning in Onigakure on November fourth. The sun was shining brightly, the temperature was nice and warm, all of her paper work had been done the previous night, and Jiraiya had brought her a wonderfully large bottle of expensive sake. Yes, he had given her, her favorite alcoholic drink in hopes of getting something "special" in return but that didn't mean that she was going to give him what he wanted.

Of course it would have been the perfect day if her Tsuchi, who had a large smirk on his face ultimately giving her the chills, and a disgruntled Itachi, who was sulking in one of the nearby chairs, weren't in her office asking for leave from the village so they could go train. She really didn't want to have to do the paper work on this.

Tsunade looked over at the glowering Uchiha and then at Orochimaru. "Why exactly do you need to go off to the mountains to train? Last time I checked the training grounds in the village were in perfect condition. What's so different about the mountains that makes a student learn more?" Her voice was sarcastic at the end as she glared at the snake charmer.

"Now, now Tsunade-hime you know as well as I do that if a student is distracted than it's hard for them to train properly. If you hadn't noticed Itachi over there has a large distraction. One that has pink hair and green eyes, about five four, and weighs about one hundred and twenty pounds."

She paused before looking the young man in the eye, her serious eyes focused on his own. "Itachi...Do you wish to go? Is Sakura really that much of a distraction to you?" The difference in the way she talked to the two was extremely evident. The annoyed and angry tone she had used with Orochimaru was replaced by the slow and caring voice she used for Itachi. Said Uchiha stared at her for a few minutes before lowering his eyes to the ground and folding his hands in his lap. "Yes Tsunade-sama, I believe a change of scenery is for the best." The blonde was not convinced one bit that this was what Itachi wanted but she let out a sighs and a slow nod anyway. After all, Itachi's wellbeing was top priority.

She opened up one of the four draws of her desk, extracting a few papers and holding them out towards Orochimaru. "Go ahead and fill them out. You're one of the council, you can do your own damned paper work." She leaned back in her chair, her hand reaching out to pick up her cup and bring it to her mouth.

"Of course Tsunade-hime, Itachi and I will just get everything ready for our departure and then I'll be back, all the papers filled out." Orochimaru announced as he turned on his heels and left the room, leaving Itachi and Tsunade in the room alone.

"Are you positive Itachi, are you sure you want to leave the village right now? Think of what you'll miss and knowing Orochimaru he'll keep you out there for months, maybe even a year. You might miss Naruto and Hinata's wedding, both will be devastated if you didn't come back in time." So many reasons on why he should leave popped into her head then. He needed time away, his own private vacation, to sort everything out. She knew Orochimaru would be no help in that department but she was sure Itachi could do it.

"Tsunade-sama...just tell Sakura that I'm sorry. As her Tsuchi it's my place to stay at her side always, but right now I can't." He stood up and bowed before the Kage, taking his leave soon after.

**OoxXxoO**

For months the two Tsuchi's were away. Sakura had become instantly worried when Tsunade had approached her about their leave. Her shishou had relayed the message that Itachi had left with her and Sakura's heart had almost broke then and there. After all, Itachi had been her first love, her first kiss, her first protector. He had been a lot of firsts for her but she had chose Sasuke. She didn't regret it but she knew that the elder Uchiha had left because of her.

She had cried. When she had made it back to her apartment after a training session with Tsunade and Hinata, her knees gave out and she had found it hard to breathe. She had cried her heart out, the pain she felt was immense. For a while, as she lay on the floor of her apartment, she thought that if Itachi didn't come back right that second she would die. Of course that was an exaggeration.

When she gained her composure back she slowly made her way to her bathroom to take a long cold shower, something to wake her up. Feeling better after that, she had gone to bed, falling into an uneasy sleep.

That had been so long ago though. A half a year had passed since the two had left and her worrying was finally ebbing away. Sasuke had officially moved into her, well now it was their, apartment. Naruto and Hinata's wedding was approaching quickly, the two were always jumpy now a days. Life was feeling great for Sakura Haruno, everything was on the right track, everything was finally calming down.

**OoxXxoO**

Six months without her. Itachi hadn't really noticed. Time seemed to have been moving extremely fast over the last few months. He had to admit, his first two months here were a real bitch.

He had gotten into a fight with one of the other members of the organization known as Akatsuki, some freaky plant-like guy named Zetsu, and on top of that the only female member of the group, known as Konan, was surprisingly smitten with him. He had ignored her advances at first but once his urges started to kick in all his morals flew out the window. She had been thoroughly pissed when he had called out Sakura's name during their sex session but what did he care.

At the moment he lay quietly in his room. It was small but he didn't mind. Itachi wasn't a big fan on giant and fantastic things, he preferred the simple. The clock that hung on the far wall ticked away as he thought about his home village. Was he doing what was best for him by being here. He would become stronger here, there would be no one up to par with him after he completes his training here. Then he could win Sakura's affections over, get her to pick him over Sasuke. Just another month and he'd be on his way back home.

**OoxXxoO**

Deidara walked through busy streets of Onigakure as he made his way to his mothers house. It had become tradition, after he and Naruto moved out of course, to go and spend ever Sunday at their mother's home more than likely eating ramen, not that there was anything wrong with ramen. After all, they grew up on the noodles.

Knowing his brother, Naruto probably dragged poor Hinata into going with him. The quiet girl was the exact opposite of Kushina. Yet both were frantic about the wedding details. Everything had to be perfect.

Kushina Uzumaki was bubbly and loud, very loud, which is where everyone says Naruto and he had gotten their own 'loudness' from. Kushina wasn't just loud with her mouth either. She loved to where clothes that would stand out in public and her messy, bright red hair was the first thing you noticed about her.

Deidara stopped and sighed as he rubbed his head. Thinking about his mother a lot brought on memories of his father. The memories were all so wonderful to him, he could remember every single event that had happened between his adoption to the unfortunate death of his hero. Even though he was not biologically related to Minato, many of the elderly villagers or shinobi told him how he reminded them of his father. Naruto of course looked exactly like the man. Sometimes so much that it was painful to be around his brother. He had loved his father a great deal and he always would.

He shook his head, getting rid of the thoughts and getting back on track. Spending the day with mom and company. Joy. More than likely a certain Hatake Kakashi would be there as well.

He had noticed that recently the silver haired Raikou was hanging around his mother a lot. Kakashi had always been there while he and Naruto were growing up but lately he had been appearing more and more. Deidara wasn't exactly sure if he liked that, but Kakashi was a good man, he made their mother happy. What he did know though, was that no matter what Hatake did, he would never get the love that his mother had reserves for his father.

"Deidara." Someone called from behind. He turned around to see someone he hadn't seen in a very long time. Itachi Uchiha stood before him, raven hair a little longer then Deidara remembered it, the lines under the older mans' eyes, darker. He had been told that Itachi had gone off to train intensely with Orochimaru somewhere but the training didn't seem to do the younger Tsuchi's health good.

"Hey there Itachi. Long time no see, yeah. Where have you been?"

"Here and there." The Uchiha replied simply.

"I think being MIA for seven months calls for a better explanation then 'here and there', don't you?" Itachi simply stared at the younger man, not saying a single word. "Well, you better tell Sakura that you're back. She was worrying about you." The blonde laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but the Uchiha was already walking away.

Deidara never really liked Itachi, in fact he always made it his goal to do better than said man. That of course was hard, last time that they had sparred though, Deidara had managed to give Itachi a run for his money. Casually he shrugged his shoulders as he continued his walk to his mothers.

**OoxXxoO**

"Mmmm, Sasuke stop. I'm tired." She replied as the man continued to nibble at her neck. He was just so damned horny. They both had decided that Sakura would be pregnant before their wedding. Since a pregnant woman doesn't show until about the fourth month, the wedding would be a month or two after she conceived. What Sasuke didn't seem to understand though, was that when his fiancé had gotten off of her birth control pill, it would take a week or so for the affects to get out of her system.

"Just one more time." He tried to climb on top of her but she pushed him off with a laugh.

"I can't even get pregnant yet, Sasuke. There's no rush." She gave him s soft kiss on the lips before getting up off the bed, searching for her clothes. Sasuke sighed childishly and lay face up, his hands under his head and his front completely exposed. He watched her naked form scramble around the room searching for her discarded garments. At one point she had bent down to see if her panties had accidentally been kicked under the dresser and he got a clear view of her butt sticking up.

"I like the view from here." His voice called from behind her. It was deep and husky, all she could do was think about how much of a nymphomaniac he was. Maybe she could teach him a lesson? She turned her head to him, looking over her shoulder with a seductive smile playing on her lips. Slowly she dragged her hand up her thigh to her hip as she placed the other at the side of her breast. Her eyes watched as he slowly became harder, his eyes filling with lust.

"You really like the view, hon?" Just as the words left her lips, he appeared behind her. His lips lowered to her neck as he walked them closer to the bed. Her smirk deepened as she felt a certain part of his anatomy poke at her back, hard and thick. Just thinking about it made her shiver which in turn made her rub against it. The young man behind her let out a strangled moan from the touch and inpatient as he was, he placed his hands on her hips and drove into her from behind.

Sakura screamed in pleasure, her knees shaking and giving out. Sasuke managed to get her to move over on the bed and into a comfortable position before he once again started their love making. Grunts, groans, and screams filled the room as the young couple continued on with their activities.

A hour later the two lay in bed quietly. Sasuke propped up on his elbow as he played with Sakura's hair. She had grown it out over the last few months, now it went just below her shoulders. To Sakura it always seemed that he was playing with it. Most of the time, after they made love, he would enjoy himself by using the end of one of her many lochs and slowly trail it over her torso.

Sakura looked up at the love of her life, a large smile playing on her lips. He leaned down once again, placing a gently kiss on her lips. Sakura responded eagerly, she loved the way he kissed her. Her arms snaked their way around his neck as he shifted his body on top of her once again. Sasuke ghost his fingertips up and down her sides before he grabbed her hips, ready to enter her again.

Then there was a knock at the door.

The young Uchiha groaned as he rolled off of Sakura. She laughed at him before giving him a quick peck on the lips and standing from the bed. She made her way over to her robe, which was draped over one of the chairs in their room, and placed it on. "I'll be right back, I promise."

The floor was cool against the skin of her bare feet. She just finished the last button on her robe as she reached the door. Well, she ruled Naruto out as the person on the other side. He would have knocked twenty times by now if it was him. She gave herself a once over in the mirror that hung on the wall before cracking the door to see who it was. Her body went still at seeing who it was.

**OoxXxoO**

Once again Deidara found himself walking through the village streets. For some strange reason no one had been at his mothers' house. He sighed in frustration as he took the machine off from his left eye. For some reason this May was hotter than usual and the metal machine that conceals his eyes was making the area around it uncomfortable.

"Deidara-san, Deidara-san!" Closing his blind eye, he turned in the direction he heard his name come from. People seemed to be calling his name quiet a lot today. "Deidara-san!" It was a young girl, one he remembered to be the daughter of a restaurant owner. He thought about it, trying to figure out her name but it just wouldn't come to him.

"Good morning there, can I help you with something?" He asked politely.

"You have to come to my restaurant right this minute. There are a bunch of strange shinobi ransacking the place." A few tears found there way to the corners of the young girls eyes as she sniffled. Deidara looked shocked for a minute before a serious face replaced it.

"Show me the way. I promise that once we get there I'll get rid of all those bad shinobi, okay?" The girl nodded, her hands coming up to rub her eyes. Quickly she grabbed his hand and ran towards her fathers' restaurant. It only took a minute before they reached the quiet building. "I don't sense anyone inside. Are you sure they were-"

"Please," She cut him off. "Please go check inside. They were there, a bunch of ninja, inside." Deidara sighed once again as the girl began to cry.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." He skillfully grabbed a kunai from his weapons pouch on his left leg before slowly entering the building. It was dark inside, the only light coming from the now open door and even then that didn't help him see much. Before he realized it the door behind him shut with a slam and the lights turned on, blinding him for a moment. He braced himself for enemy attack as his eyes adjusted.

"Surprise!" A chorus of shouts announced. He looked around, surprised to find friends instead of foes inside the restaurant. He was simply dumbfounded. The the hell was going on? His brother came up to him, giving him a extremely hard slap on the back.

"Happy birthday, Dei-chan." The spiky headed blond proclaimed.

"Huh? Birthday...today's not my birthday." At least he didn't think it was his birthday. His mother came up to him next, giving her oldest son a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug.

"If I remember correctly, your birthday is the eighth of May, which just so happens to be todays date." She led him over to the nearest table which housed his teammates. All wished him the best before ordering some sake.

"Dei-chan, you should have seen the look on your face." Laughed their pink headed leader. "It was priceless."

"Too bad both Sakura and Sasuke forgot today as well. I had to run all the way across town to their apartment because they were late." Naruto huffed as he glared at his two friends. Sakura laughed nervously as she recalled the events.

_She gave herself a once over in the mirror that hung on the wall before cracking the door to see who it was. Her body went still at seeing who it was. "I'm so sorry Naruto, I completely forgot. Sasuke!" She screamed, running into her bedroom. Said man had sat up quickly at hearing her scream. "Hurry up and get ready! We forgot about Deidara's birthday party!"_

Naruto had definitely enjoyed watching the two run around like chickens with their heads cut off. Once everyone had their glasses of liquor, Naruto asked them all to be silent and let him speak. "I'd like to make a toast, to my aniki. He may be getting senile and rusty in his old age, but I'm sure once we start having more missions, he'll get back on his game." With that he downed his glass of sake, a large grin on his face after he finished.

"Who'd you call 'senile and old'?" Deidara asked angrily as he punched his younger brother in the head, earning a loud moan of pain from him. Everyone laughed, watching the two argue. It was times like these that Sakura wished she had a younger or an older sibling.

The party went on and before anyone realized it their dinner was being served to them. Chorus after chorus of "itadakimasu" were heard as food was placed on each table. Kushina was the first at their table to dig into the food, glaring at the males about how they should let the woman grab what they wanted first. "Unfortunately once you're done getting your food Kushina, they'll be nothing left for us to eat." Kakashi mumbled. Said red head turned to him with a glare.

"You have something you want to tell me, Kakashi?" He just shook his head furiously, waving a hand in surrender up.

"You know who I saw today?" Deidara mentioned as he picked up some sushi and placed it on his plate. "Your brothers' back Sasuke." Both Sasuke and Sakura stiffened with the statement. "I didn't see Orochimaru-san though, if we're lucky maybe he stayed where ever the two were training." He popped some rice into his mouth and chewed, satisfied with his reasoning.

"I'm sorry to hear that Dei-chan, and here I was all ready to give you your birthday present." Behind him, walking through the door were the Tsuchi pair that had left months ago. Laughing nervously the blond turned in the direction of one of his sensei.

"W-welcome back, Orochimaru-sensei, Itachi." The two black haired Tsuchi neared the table, one with a smile curling his lips, the other as stoic as ever.

"Orochimaru-sama, Itachi-chan." Kushina and Kakashi acknowledged. Even though both knew the later to be a creepy and cocky bastard, they still held respect for their elder. Kushina glared at her older son, apparently he needed to be 'retaught' about minding his manners. Following theirs were a few more greeting from those sitting at the table.

"Itachi, father has been looking forward to your return. He says he has some business he wishes to discuss with you." Sasuke didn't bother to greet the snake bastard. He had heard from Sakura about the night he had scared her into an almost comatose state. In fact, he had been surprised when his fiancé had given him a curt hello.

"We were glad to have made it back for your twenty fourth birthday Dei-chan. I apologize for taking Itachi away and making him miss both of his squads lovely ladies birthdays. It made me feel so bad that I couldn't let him miss yours." Orochimaru placed his hand onto the birthday boys' shoulder and squeezed slightly. "Hinata-chan, ever time I see you, you look more and more lovely, but now you're a stunning eighteen year old woman." She blushed at the compliment, hugging onto Naruto's arm. "And Sakura-chan..." He licked his lips discreetly, making it seem as if he just needed to wet them. "Twenty soots you very well. I bet Sasuke has a hard time in keeping those other guys off of you." Walking around the table he placed his head near hers and a hand on her back. A ghostly move of the lips and no one heard his words but Sakura as some resumed their talking before the newcomers arrivals. _I bet I could make you scream louder then Sasuke can._ His hand moved to play with her bra but before either Sakura or Sasuke could react, the older Uchiha was there, his hand squeezing tightly onto his senseis' wrist.

"If you all will excuse us, Orochimaru-sensei and I have some business to take care of." Itachi yanked the older man's hand from Sakura's back and proceeded to drag him out of the restaurant. Both Kushina and Kakashi seemed startled by Itachi's antics but said nothing.

"I'm sorry Deidara, but I'm not feeling well. I think Sasuke an I will be going home now." Sakura announced as she stood, Sasuke following suite soon after. She walked over to Deidara and kissed his cheek softly, handing him a card afterwards. Sasuke stood by the door and just waved his good-bye as both Kage and Raikou left hand-in-hand.

**OoxXxoO**

**Well, I finally updated. School was a bitch but now I'm out so updates should be quicker. Leave a review please.**


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